HAMPSTEAD, Md., July 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”), the parent of Farmers and Merchants Bank (the “Bank”), announced that net income for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $1,879,362, or $0.63 per common share, compared to $2,322,108, or $0.79 per common share, for the same period in 2019. Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was $1,036,055, or $0.35 per common share, compared to $1,225,821, or $0.42 per common share, for the same period in 2019. As previously announced, the Company entered into a definitive agreement on March 6, 2020 to acquire Carroll Bancorp, Inc. Significant one-time costs will be incurred in connection with the acquisition. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company incurred $165,096 and $344,920, respectively, of such costs. The table below provides a comparison of the Company’s results with and without the acquisition costs and the prior year.

 Three Months Ended Six Months Ended 
 June 30, 2020June 30, 2019June 30, 2020June 30, 2019
  Excluding  Excluding 
 As ReportedAcquisition CostsAs ReportedAs ReportedAcquisition CostsAs Reported
       
Income before taxes$  1,266,626 $  1,431,722 $  1,448,629 $  2,262,849 $  2,607,769 $  2,798,892 
Income taxes   230,571   276,001   222,808  383,487    478,400    476,784 
Net income$  1,036,055 $  1,155,721 $  1,225,821 $  1,879,362 $  2,129,369 $  2,322,108 
Earnings per share$  0.35 $  0.39 $  0.42 $  0.63 $  0.72 $  0.79 
Return on average assets 0.85%  0.94%  1.14%  0.80%  0.91%  1.09% 
Return on average equity 8.05%  8.98%  10.34%  7.39%  8.38%  9.92% 
       


Net interest income for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was $175,192 higher than for the same period in 2019 due to a $42.9 million increase in average interest earning assets to $450.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to $407.9 million for the same period in 2019, offset by a decline in the taxable equivalent net yield on interest earning assets to 3.44% in the 2020 period from 3.70% in the 2019 period. The net yield declined because the yield on loans and investments decreased 31 basis points to 4.25% for the six months ended June 30, 2020 from 4.56% for the same period in 2019 as a result of the Federal Reserve rate cuts and our origination of $31 million of Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans that are earning 1.00%. Our cost of deposits and borrowings of 1.07% for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was 4 basis points lower than the cost of 1.11% for the six months ended June 30, 2019. We expect the cost of funds to continue to decline over the remainder of 2020 because we have significantly reduced rates on many of our deposit products. The provision for loan losses totaled $475,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2020, an increase of $462,000 over the same period in 2019, as a result of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Noninterest income increased by $194,599 in the six months ended June 30, 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019 primarily as a result of a $306,769 increase in mortgage banking income and a $210,150 decrease in the write down of other real estate owned, offset by a $197,175 decrease in bank owned life insurance income, a $75,900 decrease in the gain on the sale of SBA loans, and a $41,962 decrease in service charges. Noninterest expense was $443,834 higher in the six months ended June 30, 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019 due primarily to the aforementioned acquisition costs of 344,920 and usual salary and benefit increases of $125,852, offset by a decrease in occupancy, furniture and equipment costs of $21,236. Income taxes declined by $93,297 during the six months ended June 30, 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019 due to lower income before taxes and a higher percentage of tax-exempt revenue.

Total assets increased to $504 million at June 30, 2020 from $442 million at December 31, 2019.  Loans increased to $384 million at June 30, 2020 from $359 million at December 31, 2019. The increase in loans was due primarily to the origination of $31 million of PPP loans. Investment in debt securities increased to $73 million at June 30, 2020 from $56 million at December 31, 2019. Deposits increased to $431 million at June 30, 2020 from $377 million at December 31, 2019.  The increase in deposits was due to an inflow of funds from depositors who abandoned riskier investments for the safety of a bank and to the aforementioned PPP loans.  The majority of PPP loans were made to existing customers, so the loan proceeds were deposited in checking accounts. In many cases, the customer has not withdrawn the PPP funds. The book value of the common stock of Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. was $17.23 per share at June 30, 2020, compared to $16.63 per share at December 31, 2019.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy. The full impact and its effect on the banking industry will not be known for several quarters, but will be significant. The Bank is providing relief to our borrowers, as needed, including temporary deferral of payments. As of June 30, 2020, the Bank had granted 90-day payment deferrals on 107 loans totalling $109.2 million, which is approximately 30% of the portfolio. The 90-day deferral period has ended for most of the loans and approximately 15 loans totaling $27.8 million will be seeking a second 90-day deferral. In addition, as mentioned previously, the Bank has made a significant amount of PPP loans to customers.

James R. Bosley, Jr., President and CEO, commented “While the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, we are happy to report that our employees are healthy and that most of our borrowers are weathering the storm.  Our customers have adapted to the new ways we all have to conduct business. We are pleased to have helped many of our borrowers with payment deferrals and/or PPP loans. Our acquisition of Carroll Community Bank continues to proceed.  We expect the closing to occur in the third quarter.”

About the Company

Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company and the parent of Farmers and Merchants Bank.  The Bank was chartered in Maryland in 1919, and is currently celebrating over 100 years of service to the community. The Bank serves the deposit and financing needs of both consumers and businesses in Carroll and Baltimore Counties along the Route 30 and Route 795 corridors from Owings Mills, Maryland to the Pennsylvania State line. The main office is located in Upperco, Maryland, with seven additional branches in Owings Mills, Hampstead, Greenmount, Reisterstown, and Westminster. Certain broker-dealers make a market in the common stock of Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc., and trades are reported through the OTC Markets Group’s Pink Market under the symbol “FMFG”.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements (as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) based on management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. Such statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the control of the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be the same as those anticipated by management. These statements are evidenced by terms such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” and similar expressions. Although these statements reflect management’s good faith beliefs and projections, they are not guarantees of future performance and they may not prove true. These projections involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, see the section of the periodic reports filed by Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission entitled “Risk Factors”. 


Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets
 
 June 30,December 31,
 20202019
 (Unaudited) 
 Assets 
   
Cash and due from banks$  26,517,065 $  6,664,307
Federal funds sold and other interest-bearing deposits  476,565    2,457,045
  Cash and cash equivalents  26,993,630  9,121,352
Certificates of deposit in other banks  1,600,000  100,000
Securities available for sale  50,595,971  36,531,774
Securities held to maturity  22,092,361  19,510,018
Equity security at fair value  550,806  532,321
Federal Home Loan Bank stock, at cost  611,300  376,200
Mortgage loans held for sale  1,473,976  242,000
Loans, less allowance for loan losses of $3,136,712 and 2,593,715  383,769,692  359,382,843
Premises and equipment  5,041,743  5,036,851
Accrued interest receivable  1,724,532  1,019,540
Deferred income taxes  745,539  1,036,078
Bank owned life insurance  7,230,699  7,145,477
Other assets   2,062,869    2,180,644
 $  504,493,118 $  442,215,098
   
 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity 
   
Deposits  
  Noninterest-bearing$  85,951,086 $  60,659,015
  Interest-bearing   345,210,014   315,954,299
  Total deposits  431,161,100  376,613,314
Securities sold under repurchase agreements  11,250,921  10,958,118
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta advances  5,000,000  - 
Accrued interest payable  309,006  346,214
Other liabilities   5,206,034    4,843,936
  452,927,061  392,761,582
Stockholders' equity  
  Common stock, par value $.01 per share,  
  authorized 5,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding   
  2,991,963 in 2020 and 2,974,019 in 2019  29,920  29,740
  Additional paid-in capital  28,054,158  27,812,991
  Retained earnings  22,674,059  21,568,161
  Accumulated other comprehensive income  807,920   42,624
    51,566,057    49,453,516
 $  504,493,118 $  442,215,098
   


Farmers and Merchants Bancshares, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Income
(Unaudited)
   
 Three Months Ended June 30,Six Months Ended June 30,
 2020 2019  2020 2019 
          
 Interest income          
  Loans, including fees $  4,393,267 $  4,172,235  $  8,715,921 $  8,332,321 
  Investment securities - taxable   191,255   222,272    401,761   397,108 
  Investment securities - tax exempt   154,699   143,125    298,783   281,213 
  Federal funds sold and other interest earning assets   16,007   121,824    48,799   196,350 
  Total interest income   4,755,228   4,659,456    9,465,264   9,206,992 
          
 Interest expense          
  Deposits   832,464   885,246    1,738,663   1,660,777 
  Securities sold under repurchase agreements   39,496   28,423    77,690   53,722 
  Federal Home Loan Bank advances and other borrowings   12,865   11,195    12,974   31,748 
  Total interest expense   884,825   924,864    1,829,327   1,746,247 
  Net interest income   3,870,403   3,734,592    7,635,937   7,460,745 
          
 Provision for loan losses   350,000   -     475,000   13,000 
          
  Net interest income after provision for loan losses   3,520,403   3,734,592    7,160,937   7,447,745 
          
 Noninterest income          
  Service charges on deposit accounts   117,658   166,115    276,213   318,175 
  Mortgage banking income   350,110   72,879    412,367   105,598 
  Bank owned life insurance income   43,211   242,012    85,223   282,398 
  Unrealized gain on equity security   4,535   6,911    13,045   14,756 
  Write down of other real estate owned   -    (210,150)   -    (210,150)
  Gain on sale of SBA loans   63,635   9,520    63,635   139,535 
  Other fees and commissions   29,077   35,946    59,745   65,317 
  Total noninterest income   608,226   323,233    910,228   715,629 
          
 Noninterest expense          
  Salaries   1,296,278   1,309,007    2,651,197   2,635,790 
  Employee benefits   359,450   314,145    806,554   696,109 
  Occupancy   185,394   190,543    368,546   404,963 
  Furniture and equipment   165,812   155,933    326,261   311,080 
  Acquisition   165,096   -     344,920   -  
  Other   689,973   639,568    1,310,838   1,316,540 
  Total noninterest expense   2,862,003   2,609,196    5,808,316   5,364,482 
          
 Income before income taxes   1,266,626   1,448,629    2,262,849   2,798,892 
 Income taxes   230,571   222,808    383,487   476,784 
 Net income $  1,036,055 $  1,225,821  $  1,879,362 $  2,322,108 
          
 Earnings per share - basic and diluted $  0.35 $  0.42  $  0.63 $  0.79 
              


Contact:  Mr. James R. Bosley, Jr.
  President
  (410) 374-1510, ext.104